Traditions and Disabilities

Kendall Allen, Reporter

Can you imagine not being able to attend your favorite Burroughs traditions such as the Bonfire, Pep Rally, or Drey Land? While most of the student body takes these events for granted, there are members of the Burroughs community that often have to miss out on these and other activities: students that are physically disabled. Most of us don’t need to worry about getting up the stairs in our friends’ houses, riding in a car, or being able to easily move around our homes. Yet, those who live under special physical circumstances in our community must overcome these personal obstacles every day. On top of ordinary tasks, people with physical impairments have to experience celebrations, holidays, and school events in an entirely different way than the majority of the John Burroughs student body.

According to the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, 5.4% of Americans from ages five to seventeen are physically disabled. Some people may think that because it seems to be such a small percentage, it isn’t entirely necessary to go out of our way to accommodate these students. However, this 5.4% is not just a statistic—it is a group of people that cannot be brushed to the side. Unfortunately, even within our sacred school community, we see signs of bias in favor of able bodied people in more places than one.

Take the old science building, for example. Prior to the beginning of the construction of the new STAR building kids with crutches, wheelchairs, or walkers have had to find ways to struggle down the stairs to their classrooms. Without an elevator or ramp, the lower level of the building was virtually inaccessible to students with either permanent or short-term physical disabilities. As someone who was once in a wheelchair, I can attest to the sad truth that it was incredibly challenging to move down the stairs, no matter how much help was offered by my friends. Yet, I consider myself lucky. There are members of our student body who will continuously face restrictions such as these, (like Claire Hoffman ‘18, who has been using a walker since 10th grade.)

“I did have to deal with the science building last year for physics,” she comments. “There were no physics classes (I think) taught on the first floor of the building, so I had to get myself down those stairs every day. I was able to do this reasonably safely with use of the handrail, but I have no idea what the school could have done if I were weaker or wheelchair-bound. I do remember that there was one day last year where my legs felt weaker and I just couldn’t go to physics class.”

While the school did eventually recognize that inaccessibility and are adjusting the new building’s layout accordingly, Hoffman points out that there are still many aspects of campus that remain very inconvenient for both disabled students and visitors alike. She adds, “For new buildings…like the Athletic Center/Haertter Hall, I think it’s totally unacceptable for them to not be accessible. It’s basically brand-new and doesn’t have automatic doors, built-in ramps, or a conveniently located elevator.”
Hoffman and many others hope that the administration will continue to build a school that is more and more inclusive to disabled persons.

Sadly, the JBS campus is not the only aspect of the school that presents challenges for those with disabilities. For the few students that cannot get around without some kind of assistance, school traditions such as Blue and Gold, Field Day, and even the daily flocking to grab a cookie after lunch are activities that these teens most often cannot participate in. Still, this unintentional bias does not stop with the students. Charlie Derleth, who formerly taught Painting and Drawing at John Burroughs, used a wheelchair, and just like JBS students with physical impairments, his everyday life was very different from most of ours. Though Donya Allison, his friend and coworker, recalls that he referred to himself as “differently abled” rather than “disabled,” much of the school was hard for him to utilize.

Allison says, for example, that “the salad bars are designed for standing people. It was hard for him to get his wheelchair close. Often other faculty or I would make a plate for him.”
His inability to make his own lunch was only one of the many things he missed out on after a life-changing accident that caused him to remain in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

“One of the saddest things was Mr. Derleth’s inability to be a part of Drey Land after his accident. His electric wheelchair was impossible to maneuver in the gravel down there,” Allison added. Circumstances like his and many others should not stop those that have different physical limitations from being able to enjoy the John Burroughs School experience as much as the rest of us.

Keep in mind, though, that excluding disabled people from these events is most definitely not the intent of the school. Generally, there are not many things that can be changed to make these traditions more inclusive for the disabled community. As Hoffman points out, “It’s not that the school hasn’t taken measures to make [these events] easier for me, because I’m sure that they would’ve tried if I had asked, but I don’t know that anything can be done to make these events more disability-friendly.”

As an increasing number of disabled people are beginning to speak out not only in our community, but across the country, our school and many others are headed in the right direction. Charlie Derleth “always talked about the indomitable human spirit; he was the epitome of that. And Mr. Derleth absolutely loved John Burroughs School, always referring to it as ‘teacher heaven,’” Ms. Allison recalls. Though he passed away last year, Mr. Derleth was instrumental in much of the school’s work to make “differently abled” people feel more comfortable on campus.

Though physically impaired people must deal with much more in their everyday lives than the average person, the Burroughs community upholds its status of being incredibly thoughtful and selfless when it comes to helping those who are either temporarily or permanently disabled.

When I had to use a wheelchair in eighth grade, not only my friends but upperclassmen who had never spoken to me before offered to carry my bag, hold doors for me and asked if I needed anything. This type of support isn’t found in every school, but we are lucky enough to be able to say that JBS is built on the foundation of respect and courtesy, and these core values definitely hold true when it comes to assisting those in need. While our school may not be entirely disability-friendly yet, we are on the right path in reaching that goal.